Haven't seen Gravity, yet? Well, do yourself a favor and go.
"DRIFTING" - FROM FILM, "GRAVITY"
SOUNDTRACK - FROM FILM, "GRAVITY"
The new film Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is a visual, auditory parable told in a way I can't remember ever having seen before. Yes, it is a "space" movie, and yes, it stars biggies like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, however -- it is not what I expected. Watching this felt like something new and fresh and brought me back to what I think all theater or story-telling is for: It exists so that we learn something we need to know about ourselves. I have a hunch the success of this film is largely due to director Alfonso Cuarón. How else could we come away feeling like we've just seen an indie treasure and not mind the pinch of having just forked over good money to see another star-packed blockbuster. The direction, the casting, the writing, the acting -- the art direction in particular -- are understated, perfectly pitched notes. There are moments of cinematic brilliance in this film.
In other words, it's a fine film wrapped inside a Hollywood movie. Quite moving, but not over obvious.
Going to the movies these days can be quite costly, so I want to assure folks this is worth it. And do try to see it in the nicer theaters with those nifty 3-D glasses, too.
It's a story told with perhaps less dialogue than most "action films," but the fact that it chooses to be economic with it's "data" is what works for it. (Had no idea a 3D film could be so poetic and graceful. And truly scary. First time I've ever forgotten I was in a 3D film and just enjoyed feeling like I was there. Like in live theater performance. Brilliant use of technology. Perhaps soon they'll start doing Pinter and Chekov films in 3D. Maybe add scent in the theater, and wind, like that ride at Disneyland "Soaring over Calfornia.")
In any case, Gravity was a surprisingly human space film, which in my book qualifies this to be a "family film." (Because rumor has it I'm raising two humans). So, if your child is old enough to read Ray Bradbury they can handle this film, and I think it's educational for a variety of fine reasons. You may need to tell them to shut their eyes once, and you'll know when when you get there.
For instance, as a mother -- of a child with a health condition that I never expected to deal with, a life-threatening peanut allergy to a food found seemingly found almost everywhere in our food chain, I remember the first few years of our dealing with this to feeling very much like what Bullock's character experiences for much of the film: Lost, alone, running out of air, dizzy from spinning in a void where home seems so far away and no longer an option. Feeling alienated and terrified: That was how being the parent of child with a life-threatening health condition felt. -- So, this is was how this one audience member connected to the visual/audio poem Gravity is. I suspect all audience members will find their own personal connections to the film as well. This is why I think keeping a narrative simple, clean but emotionally honest and accessible is the ultimate key to creating a "film classic." It's message has to be specific, yet emotionally recognizable to all of us. Gravity succeeds in doing this.
There are more parallels I could draw. Many, but in the end for me the film Gravity was mostly a story about that red shoe.
SOUNDTRACK - FROM FILM, "GRAVITY"
The new film Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is a visual, auditory parable told in a way I can't remember ever having seen before. Yes, it is a "space" movie, and yes, it stars biggies like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, however -- it is not what I expected. Watching this felt like something new and fresh and brought me back to what I think all theater or story-telling is for: It exists so that we learn something we need to know about ourselves. I have a hunch the success of this film is largely due to director Alfonso Cuarón. How else could we come away feeling like we've just seen an indie treasure and not mind the pinch of having just forked over good money to see another star-packed blockbuster. The direction, the casting, the writing, the acting -- the art direction in particular -- are understated, perfectly pitched notes. There are moments of cinematic brilliance in this film.
In other words, it's a fine film wrapped inside a Hollywood movie. Quite moving, but not over obvious.
Going to the movies these days can be quite costly, so I want to assure folks this is worth it. And do try to see it in the nicer theaters with those nifty 3-D glasses, too.
It's a story told with perhaps less dialogue than most "action films," but the fact that it chooses to be economic with it's "data" is what works for it. (Had no idea a 3D film could be so poetic and graceful. And truly scary. First time I've ever forgotten I was in a 3D film and just enjoyed feeling like I was there. Like in live theater performance. Brilliant use of technology. Perhaps soon they'll start doing Pinter and Chekov films in 3D. Maybe add scent in the theater, and wind, like that ride at Disneyland "Soaring over Calfornia.")
In any case, Gravity was a surprisingly human space film, which in my book qualifies this to be a "family film." (Because rumor has it I'm raising two humans). So, if your child is old enough to read Ray Bradbury they can handle this film, and I think it's educational for a variety of fine reasons. You may need to tell them to shut their eyes once, and you'll know when when you get there.
For instance, as a mother -- of a child with a health condition that I never expected to deal with, a life-threatening peanut allergy to a food found seemingly found almost everywhere in our food chain, I remember the first few years of our dealing with this to feeling very much like what Bullock's character experiences for much of the film: Lost, alone, running out of air, dizzy from spinning in a void where home seems so far away and no longer an option. Feeling alienated and terrified: That was how being the parent of child with a life-threatening health condition felt. -- So, this is was how this one audience member connected to the visual/audio poem Gravity is. I suspect all audience members will find their own personal connections to the film as well. This is why I think keeping a narrative simple, clean but emotionally honest and accessible is the ultimate key to creating a "film classic." It's message has to be specific, yet emotionally recognizable to all of us. Gravity succeeds in doing this.
There are more parallels I could draw. Many, but in the end for me the film Gravity was mostly a story about that red shoe.
